


in search of silver linings, we discovered gold

by Hewt, Sabiduria



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: F/F, Internalised Homophobia, Sana Knows™, Slow Burn, University AU, eskild is a guru, just soft girls falling in love, ngl most of the characters are gay, vilde doesn't know how to deal with Emotions, vilde moves in with noora and eskild
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-01 21:37:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10930530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hewt/pseuds/Hewt, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabiduria/pseuds/Sabiduria
Summary: When Vilde moves in with Noora and Eskild in their kollektiv, she gets a lot more than she bargained for: new realisations, life lessons and a beautiful redhead who she just can't get out of her head.orUniversity AU where our girls meet and fall in love.(Song title taken from Sinners by Lauren Aquilina)





	1. In the night in the dark in the cold

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic born out of our mutual frustration of the lack of Evilde fics, so this is essentially the fic we would both want to read! 
> 
> You can follow us on Tumblr here:  
> Sabiduria - https://sinnnerstobesaints.tumblr.com/  
> Hewt - http://leinsofstars.tumblr.com/
> 
> (We are aware that this first chapter seems like the beginnings of a Vilde/Noora fic, but it definitely isn't! Eva will be introduced in the next couple of chapters, and then we can bring in the Feelings)

She’s underwater again

Somebody’s daughter, a friend

In the night in the dark in the cold

As she walks far away

 

Nobody’s watching

Drowning in words so sweet

Mild is the water

Caught as a bird once free

 

Hope is a distance Unreached

Ink on her skin incomplete

And the faint sound of friends

As she neared to the end she had peace

 

I don’t mind

[Bird - Billie Marten](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smX6xCPDbrE)

 

Lørdag, 00:28

The music is loud, too loud.

People are dancing drunkenly to russ musikk, jumping up and down on the spot, shouting obscene lyrics. Droplets of liquid fly from the openings of bottles and cans clutched tightly in the dancers’ hands.

Vilde is trapped on a sofa, yet again, between her roommates’ friends passing slurred jokes back and forth, her fingers clenched tightly around a bottle of cheap alcohol. The guy next to her lets out another raucous laugh, jostling her arm, and she barely manages to keep her drink upright. He mutters an incoherent apology, and she waves his apology away and smiles - at least, it’s meant to be a smile, it comes out more as a grimace. She’s had enough of this. She squeezes her way out, sparing a glance back at the people who haven’t even noticed her absence, and faces the crowd of dancing people.

There are flashing lights that seem to be on a quest to blind any unfortunate soul who looks at them at the wrong time. Vilde can feel the bass of the song pounding in between her temples, and for a second she thinks she’s going to throw up, even though she’s only had two (or was it three?) drinks.

“Hey,” she hears someone say in her ear, and the hot breath fans out over her neck as a sweaty hand tightens on her hip, fingers skimming the skin exposed by the riding up of her top. It brings her back to earth, but the contact with him only makes her feel even more nauseous. “You ok?”

Vilde turns to meet the guy with a weary smile. She puts the nearly empty bottle she’s clutching on the table next to her, knowing it’s going to be her who’ll have to clean it up later anyway. She misjudges the distance and the bottle topples over when her shaky hand lets it go.

“I’m fine. Just fine,” she says in a high-pitched voice before pulling her arm back.

“Are you sure? I can take you home if you’re not feeling well?”

“This is my house.”

The guy smiles, all crooked teeth and chapped lips and wild eyes, his brown hair standing up in every direction. He leans in, and Vilde flinches away when she smells his disgusting breath. “Then come home with me.”

“No, no, thanks.” Vilde starts to back away. The guy just looks confused.

“But you’re that girl, right? Vilde? They say you’ll fuck just about anyone. Don’t be such a tease!”

He moves a little closer to her and Vilde suddenly can’t breathe. “No, that’s not me. Sorry.”

She hurries out of the flat, leaving the guy behind as he throws his hands up in the air and shouts “Hva faen?” after her. She isn’t sure when she grabs her coat and purse but soon she finds herself bundled up in her red coat, dangerously close to hyperventilating and holding back tears as she hurries down the street. Her feet hurt in her high heels and she still feels sick and unsteady.

Her lips are chewed raw by the time she arrives at a place she recognises.

The lights are blindingly bright compared to the lamplit Oslo streets and she blinks. However, the warm air inside Kulturhuset is a welcome relief from the cold January air, and Vilde orders herbal tea before sitting down at one of the tables. The cafe is empty apart from her and the guy behind the till. The only noises are the shuffling of the boy’s feet as he scrolls through his phone, bored out of his mind, and the almost unnoticeable hum of the lights and coffee machines. She sips her tea slowly, wanting to prolong the time spent in the cafe. She isn’t sure what to do next - she can’t bring herself to return to the kollektiv. The thought makes the nausea briefly reemerge.

She fumbles in her purse for her phone and puts it on the table, putting her thumb on the home button to unlock it, but it doesn’t do anything. Out of battery. Of course. She chuckles lightly to herself, overwhelmed by the shittiness of it all.

She’s just wriggling her cramped feet out of her uncomfortable shoes when someone walks up to her.

“Hallo?” she says when it’s clear the girl is actually standing there with some sense of purpose. Red lips part in a friendly smile as the girl tilts her head to the side.

“Hei. Would you mind if I sat with you?”

Vilde looks around, sees how empty the café is and then bites her lip. “Sure?”

The girl sets her paper cup down on the table and slides into a chair. She shrugs out of her winter coat and hangs her purse over the back of her chair.

They sit in silence for a minute, sipping their teas and avoiding eye contact.

“Let me guess,” the girl says eventually. “UiO?”

Vilde looks up and laughs softly. “Yeah, Communication. You?” She chews her bottom lip, even though the chapped skin is protesting heavily.

The girl nods, her short hair flowing along smoothly with the movement. “Spanish. First year.”

“Me too! I think I might have seen you during orientation week?”

“Who knows?” the girl offers with a smile. “Anyway, I’m Noora.”

“Vilde.”

“And what are you doing in Kulturhuset at 1?”

“My roommates were having a party. Everything was too loud and overwhelming; I had to get some fresh air.” Vilde sighs. “You?”

Noora laughs gently. “Troublesome roommates as well. This guy I live with brought his date home and let's just say the walls are too thin to sleep.”

Vilde feels her face get a little flushed. “Did you know who she was?”

Noora raises her eyebrows and purses her lips. “Somehow, I doubt even Eskild knew who _he_ was.”

Vilde full on blushes this time. “He’s gay?”

Noora’s eyebrows continue to scale her forehead, getting closer and closer to her platinum hairline. “He is.”

“Oh,” Vilde says. “How cool!”

Noora's face softens. She looks almost pitying. 

“When do you think you’ll be able to go back to the apartment?” Vilde says, still a little pink but grinning.

“Hopefully not too long. What about you?”

Vilde bites her lip and her grin fades. “I don't know. Probably another few hours.” The thought of going back to the blasting music and crowds of drunk people makes her stomach curl.

“You don't want to go back?” Noora guesses.

“Ja, kinda. My roommates will give me shit for ditching them.”

Noora grimaces sympathetically. “Not your greatest friends, I’m assuming.”

“Nei, they were the only people with an extra space in their kollektiv. I didn't know anyone else so…” she trails off and shrugs.

Noora regards her, sympathy etched into her smile. “More tea?” she offers eventually and Vilde smiles happily for a moment, but then her smile sags a little.

“Actually, I should probably just go back. I've got to at some point.”

Noora hesitates for a second then says, “You could come back with me, stay in our kollektiv tonight?”

Vilde’s eyes widen. “Serr?”

“Ja, Eskild will be done by now… probably.”

Vilde’s smile broadens. “Are you sure… I mean, I don't want to impose. Will your other roommates mind?”

“Nei, nei. Eskild and I are the only ones at the moment actually. Our other roommate, Linn, had quite bad depression. She was managing, but then it started to get worse. She's back with her parents now.” Noora smiled sadly. “We still see her every now and then.”

Vilde lowers her eyes to the table. She doesn't really know what to say to that. “Will she be okay, do you think?” She asks eventually.

Noora shrugged. “I hope so. One day. Shall we go?”

“Ja,” Vilde replies and follows Noora out the door.

 

Lørdag, 02:14

They climb the many stairs up to Noora’s kollektiv. Vilde can feel her eyelids drooping. By now, any effects of the alcohol she drank earlier have worn off. The horrible nauseous, skin crawling feeling she’d been feeling all night has completely evaporated, although Vilde suspects that has more to do with the hot tea and her and Noora’s lighthearted conversations as they wandered the Oslo streets.

They reach the top of the final flight of stairs, and they are both a little out of breath. Vilde tries to hide it by deliberately breathing slowly and shallowly, embarrassed by her unfitness. Noora reaches towards the door with her key but before she even tries to unlock it, it opens to reveal a guy, only a few years older than Vilde. He nods at them briefly before moving past them and beginning to descend the stairs.

“Is Eskild asleep?” Noora calls softly after him.

The guy shrugs. “Not sure. Probably.” Then he vanishes down the stairs.

The lights inside the kollektiv are off and Noora pads quietly into the hallway, trying to keep quiet. Vilde stands awkwardly in the doorway, unsure if she should follow.

Noora glances back and sees Vilde shuffling and waiting on the threshold, and chuckles mutely. “Come on then,” she whispers.

Vilde hurries forward, embarrassed, and closes the door softly behind her.

Noora leads the way through the dim apartment to a closed door. “This is Linn’s room. You can sleep here tonight. The sheets should be pretty clean..”

“Takk,” Vilde says shyly, opening the door tentatively and flicking the light on. She blinks at the sudden brightness. The room is stripped bare, but she can still see evidence that someone just lived here. There are bits of blue-tack on the walls which were left behind when the posters they carried were taken down, a few empty drawers in the chest of drawers are still half open, and there is an empty mug sitting on the windowsill by the bed. Despite the skeleton feel to the room, Vilde still feels like she’s infringing on a stranger’s personal space.

“That one’s my room,” Noora whispers, pointing. “Come and get me if you need anything.”

Vilde smiles gratefully and then the door closes and she’s alone. Alone for the first time since her roommates ambushed her at breakfast that morning to recruit her to help with party preparations. She sits down on the bed and closes her eyes for a moment, enjoying the solitude.

Stripping down to her underwear and flipping the light off, she slides into the bed. The sheets are cold against her bare skin. It takes her almost no time to fall asleep, even in the unfamiliar surroundings.

 

Lørdag, 09:47

“Vilde?” Vilde wakes to someone knocking and calling through the door. “Hallo? Are you awake?”

“Ja,” Vilde replies, propping herself up on her elbows and rubbing the sleep dust from her eyes. “Come in.”

Noora pokes her head round the door, smiling widely. Her hair is damp and her face is free from makeup. Vilde feels a pang of jealousy at the girl’s ability to look beautiful even when her hair is limp and her face is plain. “Did you sleep okay?”

Vilde nods sleepily. “Takk for letting me stay.”

“Ah, it was no problem. Do you want some breakfast?”

“Uhm, yeah?” Vilde answers uncertainly. She usually doesn’t eat this soon after waking up, but she also doesn’t want to come across as ungrateful.

“Great! I’m making French toast, so just join us when you’re ready. I put some of my clothes, a towel and a new toothbrush in the bathroom.”

Vilde really doesn’t know what she did to deserve Noora’s kindness, so she just thanks her and smooths out the bedsheets as Noora smiles and closes the door softly behind her.

Vilde gets out of bed on shaky legs, her vision going temporarily splotchy. She didn’t eat much the day before, and it’s all catching up to her now. She breathes slowly until her vision clears up and then pulls on her clothes of the previous night, before going to search for the bathroom. She grimaces when she sees her smudged makeup in the mirror, her face a mess of flakes of mascara and streaks of eyeliner.

She quickly steps out of her clothes and turns on the shower, surprised by the wide variety of floral shampoos. She eventually settles on a lavender one.

When she eventually gets out of the bathroom feeling remotely human, she follows the voices to the living room.

There’s a guy standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter while nursing a mug of tea. He’s dressed in a shiny, flimsy pink robe and he’s talking softly to Noora, who is standing behind the stove, finishing up the French toast she promised. Eskild falls quiet when he sees Vilde approach.

“Do you have something to tell me, Noora sweetheart? You know my guru services extend to you too, right?”

“Serr?” Noora says, rolling her eyes. “This is Vilde. I found her last night, she didn’t want to go back home so I took her with me.”

“Isak 2.0? Have you found me another baby gay?”

“Eskild!” Noora hisses before turning to Vilde, who’s still standing in the doorway, feeling extremely out of place and slightly short of breath.

“I’m not gay,” she says quickly, and Eskild doesn’t look like he believes it. Vilde looks down at her feet and feels sick all of a sudden until Noora wraps an arm around her shoulders and guides her to the dining table.

“It’s okay, Vilde. Eskild has a hard time understanding that not everyone is gay.”

“I think I’ve made pretty good points in my favour, honestly.”

“Why don’t you just drink your tea and shut up?” Noora says, looking pointedly at Eskild and ushering Vilde to a chair. “French toast?”

Vilde nods, at a slight loss for words.

“Do I get French toast?” Eskild asks, lips pursing as he regards the plate of finished food.

“If you promise to shut up. And do the dishes.” Noora smiles sweetly at him.

Eskild rolls his eyes dramatically, “Only for you, darling,” and sits down opposite Vilde while Noora puts French toast on their plates.

Vilde eats it a little tentatively, her stomach still uneasy from both last night and waking up in unfamiliar surroundings this morning.

“Are you good to get home?” Noora asks.

Vilde bites her lip. “Yeah. My roommates are going to be so pissed at me though.” She cracks a fake smile.

“Why?” Eskild asks.

“I ditched them and left them to clean up on their own last night.”

“Why?” Eskild asks, again.

“Uh… I don’t know. I was overwhelmed, so I went outside to get some fresh air and just kept walking.”

Eskild nods. “Fair enough. But then… how did you meet Noora?”

Noora clears her throat. “You and your whatever were being loud. You’d think I’d be used to it by now with Isak and Even but apparently I still can’t sleep through the various boys in my kollektiv doing it at ungodly hours at night.”

“Who are Isak and Even?” Vilde asks.

“My gay children,” Eskild replies immediately and Noora rolls her eyes. “Well, adopted gay children,” he amends at the confused look on Vilde’s face. His amendment does nothing to lessen Vilde’s confusion.

“Isak was our old roommate. Even is his boyfriend who basically moved in with us after they started dating,” Noora clarifies. “They just moved out to get their own place.”

Eskild dramatically blinks away tears. “They grow up so fast.”

“I thought you lived with Linn?” Vilde asks and Eskild’s face loses some of its energy.

“Ja, well, it was a very cramped kollektiv for a while,” Noora says.

“I’m visiting Linn and her parents before lunch, by the way, Noora. Want to come?” Eskild asks.

Noora nods. “Sure.”

“Fett.”

Vilde swallows her last bite of french toast and imperceptibly sighs with relief. It’s not that Noora’s cooking is bad, but eating was only making her feel worse. “I should probably go,” she says.

Eskild raises his eyebrows. “Your roommates are that bad? You said that like you’re going to your death.”

Vilde goes a little pink. “Nei, they aren’t awful. They just don’t really like me very much. They’re perfectly nice to me, but I’m sort of a burden to them, I think.”

Eskild straightens in his seat, his face taking on a mischevious smile. He leans over and whispers something in Noora’s ear and shrugs at her. She considers for a second then nods at him.

“Yay!” Eskild says to Noora as Vilde watches in confusion. Then he turns to face her. “Vilde, would you do me the honour of becoming my next child.”

Vilde stares at him. “What?”

“Do you want to ditch your shitty roommates and live with us?” Noora translates. “We have a spare bed and neither of us can afford to pay the extra rent. You seem pretty chill, and it would have to be a complete stranger otherwise.”

“I.... I am a complete stranger.”

“Well yes, but we trust you not to murder us in our beds,” Eskild says with a bright smile.

“Well, then… I guess… Ja?” Vilde can feel a warmth rising in her chest. How bad can living with these two possibly be?

“Yay!” Eskild says again, this time even more enthusiastically. He jumps up, pulling both girls up with him to pull them into a group hug. Vilde is smiling into Eskild’s shoulder and, with a little laugh, she notices the scent of the lavender shampoo she used earlier on his shirt

  
  



	2. can you come a little closer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eskild and Vilde watch a movie and Vilde meets the girl squad!

Here comes the breath before we get a little bit closer

Here comes the rush before we touch, come a little closer

[Closer - Tegan and Sara](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e9NSMY8QiQ)

Lørdag, 13:41

**Kattpartiet**

**I dag** 10:43

 **Lise:** fy faen no one go into jørgens room

 **Signe:** ….what did he do now?

 **Lise:** somehow he managed to get linda to stay

 **Signe:** Lol

 **Lise:** and the duvet fell off the bed before they passed out drunk

 **Signe:**  Ahaha omg

 **I dag** 12:20

 **Signe:** Has anyone see Vilde?

 **Lise:** idk but she should be helping us clean up :/

Hey

I left early last night

 **Lise:** can u get back asap? the apartment is trashed

I’m coming over later

 **Lise:** its not nice to just leave us to sort the mess

I need to get my stuff

I found a new kollektiv

 **Lise:** what the fuck?

 **Jørgen:** vilde??

 **Signe:** Lol

 **Signe:** I’ll miss u

 **Lise:** i wont

 **Signe:** Wtf Lise??

 **Jørgen:** how are we supposed to pay rent now

Find another roommate?

 **Lise:** we can just make her pay till we find someone else

 **Signe:** Maybe Linda could join us??

 **Jørgen:** no

 **Jørgen:** u cant do that to me

 **I dag** 13:41

 **Lise:** Fuck u, Vilde

**You have left this conversation.**

 

**✨Kollektivet✨**

**I dag** 13:47

 **Eskild:** Welcome to the family, sweetheart **< 3**

 

Mandag, 20:31

The room is a mess, and Vilde still feels a little awkward. While Linn’s left-over decorations are very sparse, it still feels wrong to tape her cat poster right over some dried blue-tack she can’t get off the wall, and to push the dresser in front of a scratch in the paint she doesn’t know the history of. She was late to class that morning, having forgotten to figure out the tram route beforehand, and while Eskild and Noora are amazing people, she still feels out of place.

She’s just not like them.

She doubts she’ll ever be.

“Vildeee?” Eskild calls from outside the room, and then the door is pushed open so violently that Vilde nearly drops the sweater she’s in the process of putting away.

“Eskild?”

Eskild smiles and leans bodily against the doorframe. “That is me, the fabulous guru,” Eskild says happily. “I have something for you, as a welcome home gift.”

“You do?” Vilde asks uncertainly. She doesn’t really know how to interpret Eskild sometimes.

“Well, not really, but I bought this really cute pastel pink hoodie and it is the cutest thing, but it washes out my face so badly it makes me look like that video game character. The one without a face? _Anyway_ ,” he continues when it’s clear that Vilde is not going to supply him with the name he’s looking for, “I think, with your pretty eyes and your beautiful light hair, and that rosy tint to your skin, you will pull it off just fine. So here it is.”

The hoodie is revealed from behind his back with a flourish, and Vilde quickly puts her sweater into her closet before walking over. The fabric is soft and there are small silver stones set in the shape of a pair of angel wings on the back.

“It’s beautiful,” she says with as convincing a smile she can muster.

“I know,” Eskild replies, waving her away. “Now, you’ve been working way too hard today, Noora’s not here and I need someone to watch a nice gay movie with me. Especially since it’s pride month now.”

“Okay?”

“Sweetheart,” Eskild says with a sigh, before linking his fingers with Vilde’s. “You are about to be educated in the fine art that is queer cinema.”

Vilde lets herself be pulled from her room, after dropping the soft pink hoodie on her bed, and brought into the living room, where the title screen of a movie has already loaded.

“Pride?” Vilde asks, sitting down gingerly on the sofa.

“Yes. Ben Schnetzer is, like, hot. Oh my god. He makes me mourn the loss of 80s fashion. Those jeans on that ass.” He sighs dreamily and shakes his head as he tosses a bag of popcorn kernels into the microwave. “You will love it.”

And she does, she does love it. And she also blushes when the women in the back of the van start singing that ‘Every woman is a lesbian at heart’, which prompts Eskild to nudge her gently, with a wink and a big grin on his face. His smile is infectious and she can’t herself from giggling or smiling and biting her lip.

They’re sitting close to each other, huddled underneath a soft purple blanket with the bowl of popcorn in between them, and it’s the most comfortable Vilde has felt in a long, long time.

 

Torsdag, 13:27

**✨Kollektivet✨**

**I dag** 13:27

 **Noora:** Does anyone mind if the girls come over tomorrow night?

 **Eskild:** i’m going out so nah go ahead

 **Isak** : We’re not invited?! #offended -Even

 **Noora:** It’s a *girls* night even

 **Isak:**  *crying*

 **Noora:** Is that cool with you Vilde?

Ja

I’ll try not to get in the way

 **Noora:** You don’t have plans?

Nei

 **Noora:** Come party with us then

 **Noora:** They want to meet my new roommate anyway

Okei :)

 **Isak:** Stop hacking my facebook to text my friends dumbass

 **Isak:** But your old roommates miss us!

 **Eskild:** we do. baby gays, your guru misses you dearly

 **Eskild:** i want all the juicy details

 **Eskild:** baby jesus??????? I know you read it???

 

Fredag, 19:36

And that’s how Vilde finds herself momentarily wordless by a girl standing on the threshold, dressed from head to toe in black - including a hijab - and dark purple lips pursed in a look of half irritation, half amusement.

“I’m Sana,” she says. “You’re Vilde?” She cocks her head a little, and Vilde suddenly recognises her from a picture Noora showed her.

“Uh... ja, hi! Come in!” Vilde says quickly, smiling widely as Sana brushes past her into the kitchen.

“Sanaaa!” Noora exclaims happily and throws her arms around her, just as Vilde walks back into the kitchen. Chris stands up to hug Sana next.

“Would you like a drink?” Vilde offers.

“Diet coke,” Sana says, and Vilde roots around in the fridge. She hands Sana the can and Sana smiles at her. When she smiles she looks slightly less intimidating.

“Where’s Eva?” Noora asks.

“Coming soon,” Chris replies. “Her mum turned up unannounced today. Now she has to sneak out and it’s holding her up.”

“Does she live at home?” Vilde asks.

“Yes - well, sort of,” Noora says. “Her dad lives in Bergen and her mum is away travelling most of the time, so she gets a big house all to herself.”

“We were going to do this at Eva’s, but then her mum said she’d be arriving tomorrow morning,” Chris adds.

“Apparently not,” Sana says dryly.

Chris nods. “Eva’s mum is a mess.”

The girls fall into an awkward silence. Vilde can see Sana studying her, sipping her drink as she narrows her eyes. Vilde stares at her nails. She painted them last weekend for the disastrous party, and the pink is chipping and peeling off.

Noora seems to bow under the silence. “Would anyone like tea?”

Before anyone can answer, the doorbell rings and Chris cheers. “She’s here!”

Noora goes to let her in, and returns with a girl, obviously Eva.

“I escaped!” She shouts, and they all cheer and hug her. Vilde stands awkwardly off to the side, but the girls’ greetings give her an opportunity to properly look at all the girls.

Sana looks at ease, something Vilde didn’t see when they were talking earlier. Noora and Chris are laughing and smiling at a joke Eva’s just made. Vilde finds her eyes uncontrollably drawn to Eva, her auburn hair half up and her eyes lidded with dark eyeshadow. Her smile is wide and honest, and Vilde feels a yearning for that familiarity that comes easily to these girls, and something else she can’t quite put her finger on.

“So how do you all know each other?” Vilde asks.

“We all went to the same school. Hartvig Nissen Skole,” Noora explains.

“I moved to Oslo before my first year at Nissen,” Eva adds. “My mum and I left my piece of shit dad behind in Bergen. I met Noora and Chris at a russ party.”

“Ja, and then I met Sana in German class,” Chris says, slinging her arm around Sana’s shoulders. “And we all just ended up hanging out with each other.” The girls all smile fondly at each other.

Eva giggles. “They got me through all the bitchy drama of our first year.”

“And the second year. And the third year. Shit, we had a wild ride, man. The good old days. Uni is almost boring in comparison,” Chris muses, causing Eva to grimace.

“No, it’s not,” Eva argues.

“Does everyone still want tea?” Noora says, but it’s just Sana who nods and slides her mug towards Noora. “Green?”

“With lemon,” Sana nods with a smile.

“I brought wine for us, Chris, if you want some,” Eva says, reaching into her backpack and retrieving a bottle. “And maybe you, Vilde?” she adds.

“What about Noora and Sana?” Vilde asks, confused.

“Does it look like I drink?” Sana asks, amused.

 _Oh yeah_. Vilde blushes deeply and looks down at her nails again.

“Sana doesn’t drink for obvious reasons, and I don’t out of choice,” Noora explains kindly. “I react badly to alcohol.”

“Yeah, me and Chris tend not to drink huge amounts when we’re hanging out with these guys. It’s no fun for anyone if half of us are sober and the other half are falling over drunk,” says Eva.

Sana raises her eyebrows and snickers. “Yeah, you two just save that for the parties.”

“I’m nowhere near as bad as Eva is,” Chris protests.

“So just me and Sana for tea,” Noora says, and leaves to make tea. She returns with two steaming cups and three empty wine glasses. “Drink responsibly, kids,” she says in English, handing the glasses to Eva.

They follow Noora into the living room and sit in a circle on the floor on cushions.

“Where’s Eskild?” Eva asks as she pours the wine.

Noora rolls her eyes. “Out drinking with his friends.”

“You’re obsessed with Eskild,” Chris laughs.

“He’s good company, okay!” Eva replies defensively.

“It’s just because you can sexy dance with him without it being loaded with feelings,” Sana observes.

“That is absolutely a lie!”

The girls look at her with raised eyebrows and giggle.

“I need to have drunk significantly more wine than this if you lot are just going to be mean to me,” Eva mutters. “Here,” she says, passing Chris and Vilde the glasses while taking a sip herself.

“So how’s Yousef?” Chris asks, and the girls all look at Sana.

Sana’s face changes, her fierce expression softening and her eyes lighting up. “Yousef is well.”

“Uh, who’s Yousef?” Vilde asks.

“Sana’s.... What are you calling him?”

“I’m not calling him anything!” Sana protests, blushing. “He is a boy… who I… like.”

“You go all soft when you talk about him,” Eva observes.

“Say that again and I’ll have to kill you,” Sana shoots back. The girls dissolve into laughter again. “He’s uh… he’s meeting my parents on Sunday.”

“Ooooooh,” they all chorus.

“Haven’t they already met him?” Noora says. “He is one of your brother’s best friends.”

“Well, yes, but this time it’s as my… boy-that-I-like.”

“To think that stone cold Sana Bakkoush managed to snag one of the hot Bakka boys.”

Vilde looks up. “I went to Bakka,” she says, and then almost wants to curl up under the piercing gaze of the four girls.

“I wonder if Even knows her,” Noora muses. “I’ll find a picture.” Noora pulls out her phone and taps a few times before holding it out to Vilde. There are two blonde boys, one taller than the other. They’re both grinning as the taller one holds the phone out, his other arm slung around the other boy’s shoulders.

“Which one is Even?” Vilde asks.

Eva leans over to see the phone, their shoulders pressed together and Eva’s hair brushing her wrist. Vilde feels her heart speed up a little and fights off a blush. “Even is that one,” Eva says, pointing at the taller of the two. Eva moves away and Vilde feels her tensed muscles relax.

Vilde studies his face. Maybe she had seen him before? He looks vaguely familiar, but not strikingly so. “Maybe,” she says unsurely, and the girls look a little disappointed.

“It would have been so cool if you and Even had been friends,” Chris says, a little disappointed.

“Ah well,” Noora says. She holds out her hand for her phone, but just as Vilde is going to give it back the phone buzzes.

**_New message from William Magnusson_ **

The name sends a shiver of cold down her spine. _William Magnusson_. She remembers that name. She remembers his breath hot against her lips, his hands on her skin. It is not a pleasant memory.

Her shock lasts only a second before her composure returns. “It says you’ve got a text from William Magnusson.” She hands the phone back with a fake smile. Noora’s eyebrows knit in confusion and the corners of her mouth turn down, although Vilde doesn’t miss the hopeful flash in her eyes. Chris, Eva and Sana go silent and stare at Noora. Vilde could have sworn she saw a hint of judgement in their gazes.

“You’re talking to him again?” Sana asks softly. Vilde detects a hint of wariness, as if this is a sensitive subject not often broached.

“No,” Noora says, still looking confused. She takes the phone from Vilde and looks at it for a minute. “He says he’s coming back.”

“What?!” Chris and Eva yelp at the same time, while Sana frowns disapprovingly.

“He says he’s had enough experience in London and he wants to come back because he misses Oslo.” Noora takes a deep breath. “And he misses me.”

Sana rolls her eyes. “You’re not going to fall for his bullshit again, are you? He was a dick to you about the Nikolai thing, and has barely tried to contact you since you ran away from London. Since you ran away from _him_.”

“He cheated on you, Noora,” Chris says gently.

Vilde tenses up. What if…?

“We think, anyway,” Eva corrects, her eyes worried as they flicker over the faces of her friends.

“I…” Noora starts, but doesn’t seem to be able to find any words. “You’re probably right,” she concedes.

“Is William your boyfriend?” Vilde asks tentatively.

“He was. It’s a bit more complicated than that now.”

“How long were you together?” she presses.

“A year and a bit, I think. We got together in March last year and I left him behind in London to come home a couple of months ago.”

Vilde’s heart is hammering so hard she’s surprised the girls can’t hear it and she feels sick to her stomach. She remembers all too well the month long crush she had over him after that one Riot Club party (or the crush she said she had to get her old friends off her back).

But if what Noora says is true, William and Noora were together at the same time as the party. Which means that the suspicion of his unfaithfulness is more than a suspicion. And it’s her fault.

“You’re not going to meet up with him,” Sana says decidedly, taking Noora’s phone. “And you’re not going to respond to him. He’s played you enough.”

“You’re right,” Noora says, playing with the label on her tea bag. She doesn’t sound like she believes it, though.

They all lapse into a silence heavy with tension, and it isn’t until Eva curses loudly and pours herself another glass of wine that it is broken.

“I should have brought something stronger,” she says, and Chris nods, lifting her own glass.

“Fy faen.”

 

Lørdag, 00:02

They end up playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii. Sana beats all of them.

“It’s not my fault white people can’t dance,” she says with a shrug and a small smirk on her face when Eva throws herself onto the sofa in defeat. After that, they decide to watch _The Imitation Game_ on Netflix, which is “fucking depressing”, according to Chris. Vilde sits squeezed between the edge of the sofa and Eva, their shoulders pressed together and Eva’s hand trapped between them beneath the blanket.

“I’m sure Benedict Cumberbatch can dance like a pro,” Eva says after it’s ended, which then initiates a crusade on YouTube to find proof.

On the other side of Eva, Noora sits, not saying much. Vilde attempts to engage her in conversation numerous times over Eva's head, who has sunk far into the sofa cushions. Her attempts are sparse and half-hearted, though.

She feels sick. She’s been nursing her one glass of wine ever since Eva poured it for her, her mind racing as she thinks about the new information she’s gotten and what to do about this.

Noora will hate her when she finds out what Vilde did with William.

Noora, the person who has been so kind to her and picked her, a complete stranger, up from a café in the middle of the night because she didn’t feel comfortable at her kollektiv.

She’s a terrible person.

She suddenly can’t be here anymore. Eva immersed in her YouTube searching sits between her and the girls, a barrier between her and the conversation. The girls are draped over each other, completely comfortable with one another, and Vilde just doesn’t fit in. She probably never will, not now.

Vilde gets up from the sofa, attracting everyone’s attention. Sana raises her eyebrows, Eva pauses the YouTube video they had been watching, Chris focuses on her instead of the near-empty wine bottle and Noora is no longer looking at her phone.

“Uhm, I should go to bed. It’s getting late. I have something, uhm, important to do tomorrow.” The lie is obvious and she sees Sana’s eyes narrow at her, but Noora is distracted with thoughts of William and Chris and Eva are too tipsy to notice.

“Oh okay,” Noora says. “Thanks for joining us.”

“See you later?” Chris proposes, holding her fist up for a fist bump.

“Lovely meeting you, Vilde,” Eva says with a bright, genuine smile and Sana nods along.

Vilde leaves them behind and quickly goes to her bedroom.

 

 

Søndag, 09:28

**Gjengen Allianse**

**I dag, 09:28**

**Eva Kviig Mohn added you to this conversation**

**Eva:** She’s in!

 **Noora** : Halla!

 **Chris:** Niiiice

 **Sana:** Hei Vilde

 **Chris:** Welcome to the squad

Hei guys

Takk for adding me!

 **Eva:** No problem :)


	3. i know we'll go farther

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gay film night happens, eskild and vilde brave the outside to go to the supermarket and visit evak's place, more girlsquad bonding time

I'll come closer  
to you if you  
come over  
I know we'll go farther  
farther with you  
with you I'm in warm water swimming down

[Warm Water - Banks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYG3iIcZOkw)

Mandag, 09:34

**Gjengen Allianse**

**I dag** 09:34

**Eva:** I know it’s Monday

**Eva:** But please tell me one of you is going to do something

**Eva:** I need to get away from here

**Eva:** Anything

**Chris:** You can come with me to my grandma lol

**Eva:** Anything but that

**Eva:** Sana?

**Sana:** Exam

**Noora:** Eskild and Vilde are having a film night tonight, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you joined. Right, Vilde?

**Chris:** What’s wrong with my grandma?

**Eva:** …

Are you sure Eskild would be chill with that?

**Noora:** As long as one of you buys some more popcorn for him, he’d love to have you join

Okei

**Eva:** Fetttttt

**Eva:** Salt or sweet?

**Noora:** Doesn’t matter. As long as it’s buttery

**Chris:** Can’t watch anything steamy without buttery fingers amirite 

**Chris:** Eskild’s words, not mine

 

Mandag, 18:57

“Vilde! Vildeee!”

Vilde pulls her earphones out when she sees who’s calling her. Eva is standing on the opposite side of the street, waving her arms dramatically (and nearly hitting a very annoyed passerby in the face in the process) as she tries to get Vilde’s attention.

“Eva?” Vilde asks between laboured breaths, and Eva holds up her hand.

“Stay there!”

And Vilde does, hopping from foot to foot as she watches Eva cross the street without paying much attention to the oncoming traffic. Eva flips off a car that honks at her before pulling Vilde into an enthusiastic hug.

“Hey! I was just on my way to yours!”

“Oh?” asks Vilde, dumbly, before she remembers. “Ohhh.”

“Yeah! Are you excited?”

“I guess. Last week’s movie was really fun, so...” she trails off awkwardly, and Eva laughs.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your work-out.”

Vilde shrugs. “That’s okay. I was about to cooldown anyway.” That’s a lie, but she finds that she’s truly not too upset about her daily run being cut short. She’s had a long day; she can take it easy. Plus, she’d much rather talk to Eva, any day.

“Did you get the popcorn?”

“Heck yeah! The fancy kind. I called Noora to find out which one Eskild usually gets, and apparently he gets the cheapest thing available, so I wanted to spoil him. He’s our friendly neighbourhood guru, hm?”

“What’s with this guru thing anyway?” asks Vilde as they walk to the kollektiv together. It’s chilly out, and Eva looks amazing in her white coat and burgundy scarf. Vilde fumbles with the sleeve of her own jacket.

Eva looks shocked. “You don’t know?” she exclaims. “Eskild is the godfather of all young and aspiring gays. I think that’s how he describes himself? At first he just referred to himself as a guru with Isak, but he branched out.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. The kollektiv has actually never known a straight roommate before. You might be the first.”

“Oh really? That’s funny,” Vilde offers weakly. There’s nothing funny about it. There’s also nothing funny in the tight feeling that forms in her stomach when Eva tilts her head and looks at her, almost as if questioning her own statement.

“Isn’t it?” Eva grins. But the inquiry in those green eyes is still there.

“What about Noora?”

“Hmhm,” is all Eva replies, but it’s enough. Vilde sighs.

Vilde can’t feel her fingers anymore by the time they finally climb up the many stairs to the kollektiv.

“Eskild!” Eva yells excitedly when they finally step over the threshold, and the man in question saunters out of the kitchen in his fluffy pink bathrobe and with a big smile on his face.

“Eva! My favourite party animal! I would call you a party slut but Noora is here so we have to stay PC,” he adds at a lower tone when he hugs Eva and presses a kiss to her cheek.

“You’re a bigger slut,” Eva retorts. “The popcorn.” She hands Eskild the bag with a flourish.

“Thank you, my dear godchild. Vilde, I see you’ve gained my habit of picking up strays.”

“I’m not a stray!”

“With that hair?”

“It rained, okay.”

“Uh, I’m going to change,” Vilde announces awkwardly.

Eva nods. “Sweet. Hey, Eskild, can I borrow your fluffy pyjama bottoms? I forgot to bring something comfy.”

“They’re waiting for you on my bed, love. Vilde, can you start up Netflix when you’re done? It’s time for the movie!” Eskild closes the door of the microwave with a flourish and a large smile as he nods toward the television. Eva disappears down the corridor.

Vilde goes to her room, quickly exchanging her running gear for comfy sweatpants and a sweater. She goes to the bathroom and washes her face, sighing when she sees that her mascara has created a build-up of small black flakes under her eyes. Biting her lip, Vilde quickly applies a new layer.

She starts Netflix when she returns to the living room. “What are we even watching?”

“It’s Brazilian. Very cute. Nice and soft and gay,” Eskild explains as he takes the remote from Vilde and puts the bowl of popcorn on the table.

“Sounds good,” Eva says, grabbing some wine glasses. She’s wearing Eskild’s baby blue pyjama pants and her hair is up in a messy bun. Vilde quickly directs her gaze back to the TV. “I hope no one objects to some fine white wine?”

“Eva, it’s Monday,” berates Eskild, “who could possibly object to alcohol on such a night?”

They settle onto the sofa with their wine glasses, the film loading on the screen of the telly. Eskild is in between Vilde and Eva, and Eva’s head is resting on his chest. Eskild’s arm is around Vilde’s shoulder, holding her close as well.

“Thanks for having me, guys,” Eva sighs, pouring herself another glass of wine and refilling Eskild’s too.

“Always,” Eskild promises. “Right, Vilde?”

“Right.”

The film is cute. Eskild gasps every time something remotely sexual is shown, and sends Vilde eyebrow wiggles when Eva isn’t watching them.

Vilde bites her lip, pretends she has no clue what he’s on about, and focuses solely on the TV after that.

Eva kisses her on the cheek when she leaves after the film, and Vilde’s cheeks feel unusually warm when she settles into her bed that night.

 

Onsdag, 14:27

****✨** my fav guru ✨**

**I dag** 14:27

put my number into your phone during movie night

do you like the contact name?

Hei Eskild

*No comment* hihi

anyways baby girl

do you have class today?

I did this morning, but I’m free all afternoon

Why?

wanna come shopping with your friendly neighbourhood gay?

i need help carrying groceries

Okei :)

meet me at rema 1000 round the corner from the kollektiv at 15?

Where?

[ https://goo.gl/maps/9SDHoRYmQt62 ](https://goo.gl/maps/9SDHoRYmQt62) here

I’ll be there!

 

 

Onsdag, 14:56

After wrestling with Google Maps for 10 minutes, Vilde finally figures out where the damn supermarket is. She sits on a wall at the edge of the car park, watching shoppers enter and leave through the sliding doors.

“Vilde!” Eskild calls, sauntering up to her.

“Hei!” she replies, pushing off the wall. Eskild envelops her in a hug immediately. Vilde tenses up in surprise for a second; she still isn’t used to the easy kindness and affection from her new roommates. She’s learned that Eskild can be forward and overwhelming at times (understatement of the century) but being around him is oddly easy. He cheerfully fills her melancholy silences with meaningless chatter without ever becoming annoying.

“You’re wearing the sweater!” he exclaims happily. “I knew it would look good on you.”

Vilde grins. “I love it,” she replies.

“Shall we shop?” Eskild asks, offering Vilde his arm chivalrously, and Vilde loops hers through his.

Shopping with Eskild is frustrating, to say the least. Having spent years obsessing over how to shop for food by calories and fat content, watching Eskild remember an ingredient and just reach for the first brand he sees is a painful process. When she tries to exchange the yoghurt for a low-fat alternative he slaps her wrist playfully.

“Loosen up!” he says, as if it were that easy. “Life is too short to spend it overly focused on eating healthily. Besides, whenever Noora shops she goes overboard on the ‘organic’ and ‘free-range’. My grocery week is my only chance to get unhealthy shit.”

Vilde forces herself to nod and laugh, though she can’t help the little blush that spreads across her cheeks.

Eskild must notice the blush because he grins and throws one arm around her shoulders. “Besides, you’re beautiful. Girl, you gotta learn to love yourself! If I had that body and that sweater, I’d know it. And show it.”

Vilde murmurs something in agreement, not bothering to remind him that it actually was his sweater, once.

“As RuPaul says,” Eskild continues. “If you don’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else?”

“Who?” Vilde asks, relaxing into the conversation a little. That’s the wrong question to ask, judging by Eskild’s reaction.

His eyes widen and he covers his mouth with his hand dramatically in surprise. “You don’t know who RuPaul is!? This is an absolute tragedy. We’re going to have to rectify this tonight.”

Vilde rolls her eyes. “Fine,” she says grudgingly. She has accepted that her life at the kollektiv is going to be filled with therapeutic baking and cooking sessions with Noora and impromptu film and TV nights with Eskild.

“Now sweetheart, go and find me the peanut butter,” Eskild orders. “You better get crunchy, or I’m kicking you out of my kollektivet.” Vilde can tell he’s joking, and her laugh is genuine.

Vilde paces up and down the aisles, looking for the the right sign. As she passes the shelves of dried pasta her phone starts buzzing.

 

**✨Kollektivet✨**

**I dag** 15:18

**Eskild:** baby gays!

**Eskild:** i haven’t seen you for a whole 72 hours!

**Eskild:** this is a travesty!

**I dag** 15:22

**Eskild:** I’m coming over

**Eskild:** you two better be decent

\---

****✨** my fav guru ✨**

**I dag** 15:23

find the peanut butter yet?

Not yet

Oh there it is

meet me at the checkout

we’re visiting isak and even

I saw hihi

\---

Vilde picks up a pot of crunchy peanut butter, quickly looking around like she’s about to commit a crime when she grabs one at random, like Eskild would have done. She then makes her way to the self checkouts, where Eskild is already scanning items.

“Hei!” she calls out, dropping the peanut butter into the basket next to him.

“There you are!” Eskild exclaims. Vilde helps him pack away their shopping as he scans the items.

“I’m going to introduce you to your adopted older brother. Or, is he older than you? When’s your birthday?”

“July,” Vilde replies, happy to let Eskild lead the conversation as she follows him out the shop, two plastic shopping bags in his hands. “99,” she adds.

“Hmm, I think Isak is June, also 99. We’ll have to ask him.”

They make small talk most of the journey, Vilde blindly following Eskild around one of the more unfamiliar areas of Oslo. They reach a tram stop, wait for a couple of minutes for the next one and get on.

At one of the stops, the tram stops suddenly and Vilde stumbles into a tall, dark haired guy. Vilde blushes scarlet and spews apologies too fast for anyone to understand what she’s saying. As she steps away from him she sees his eyes gazing at her and his lips forming a smug smile. She’s seen that self entitled, predatory look many times before and her arms instinctively come up to cross over her chest. She shrinks back until she bumps into Eskild. He’s obviously noticed Vilde’s reaction, because he curls an arm around her shoulder protectively and glares at the guy. He looks Eskild up and down, and Vilde sees the guy’s lips silently form the word ‘fag’, his mouth curling in disdain, before he diverts his attention to his phone.

Luckily, they’re getting off at the next stop which is only a couple of minutes away. Eskild continues to glare at the guy the whole way, and when they get off he says, “Are you okay? We don’t have to go to Isak and Even’s if you don’t want to.”

“Nei, nei it’s fine,” Vilde says quickly. “That kind of thing happens all the time.” Eskild grimaces at those words.

“Ladies get it hard,” Eskild says and Vilde nods in agreement. She’s intertwined her fingers tightly, her nails digging into her own skin. She’s got a reputation, she’s aware of that. She knows that the look the guy gave her is probably based on more than just her being a woman. But she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she allows Eskild to pry her fingers loose and hold onto her hand. He swings their hands between them and smiles comfortingly.

“What about you? You saw what he mouthed, right?”

“I’d be willing to bet that that happens even more often than you get straight guys ogling you on public transport,” Eskild says with a laugh. “It doesn’t really bother me anymore.”

Vilde feels herself relax the further they walk, and by the time they reach Isak and Even’s street she’s laughing so hard at Eskild’s anecdotes that she can barely breath and she has to support herself on his arm to stop herself from falling over.

“We’re here!” He exclaims when they’re standing outside a fairly typical Oslo apartment building.

Eskild presses the buzzer which says ‘Bech Næsheim + Valtersen’ beside it. No answer. He presses it again more insistently. After another couple of minutes of incessant button pushing, a very irritated male voice comes over the speaker. “Who is it?”

“Isak!” Eskild exclaims. “You’re alive!”

“Hei Eskild,” Isak says, sounding mildly annoyed, but not as much as before. A loud buzz sounds and then Vilde is following Eskild into the building.

“Do they know I'm coming?” Vilde asks.

“Probably not,” Eskild says, not looking particularly worried.

They climb four flights of stairs and both of them are out of breath by the time they reach the top. Eskild knocks on the door, and it opens almost immediately.

“I was asleep,” Isak grumbles.

“Aww,” Eskild coos, pulling Isak into a slightly reluctant hug. “You work so hard.”

“Uni is difficult,” Isak agrees. Pulling away from Eskild, he notices Vilde for the first time. “Who’s this?”

“Your new adopted sister,” Eskild says, but they both ignore him.

“Vilde,” she says, smiling. “I moved in with Noora and Eskild a couple of weeks ago.”

“Oh yeah!” Isak says. “I remember seeing your name on the chat. Try not to let Eskild get to you. He can be … overwhelming at times.”

“How dare you!” Eskild says dramatically. He turns to Vilde. “I’ll have you know, I single handedly got this kid out of the closet.”

Isak frowns at Eskild. “Even helped-”

“Hush now and invite us in,” Eskild says, cutting Isak off.

Isak rolls his eyes and shares a knowing look with Vilde, then steps aside to let them pass him, shutting the door behind them. The apartment is very small, only a kitchen, bathroom and main room which contains a bed, table and chair. The walls are almost completely covered with a range of different things. Lots of it is art, and a lot of the art seems to contain Isak’s face, Vilde notices.

“Where’s Even?” Eskild asks.

“Work. He’ll be back soon,” Isak replies. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Tea,” Eskild replies. Isak looks a little worried. “Actually, don’t worry. I can make it,” Eskild adds, smiling fondly.

“So how are you holding up, living with Eskild?” Isak asks.

“I can still hear you!” Eskild’s voice comes through the kitchen door. “This apartment is too small to keep anything secret.”

“You get used to it,” Isak says to Vilde, loud enough that Eskild can still hear.

“Rude!” Eskild calls back. “Even is always so much nicer to me.”

“So are you studying at UiO?” Vilde asks.

“Yep, medicine.”

“Wow,” Vilde says. “Isn’t that really hard?”

“Yeah,” Isak says with a grin. “Even likes to make fun of me for being a nerd.”

“Have you been together long?” Vilde asks.

“Uhh.” Isak paused to think. “Nearly three years, I think. It was Halloween 2016 when we first got together, anyway. There were some bumps at the beginning, so maybe Christmas is more accurate.”

“And they haven’t got any less sickening,” Eskild says, returning with two cups of tea. He hands one to Vilde and she notices that he has remembered her favourite tea: lemon green. “I swear, this is the kind of couple that will still be the same in twenty years. They’ll be your friendly neighbourhood gays who are the definition of true love and knit sweaters for each others.”

Eskild is ignored tactfully.

“What are you studying?” Isak asks.

“Media and communication.”

“Fett,” Isak says. Before the conversation can continue, the sound of keys in a lock rattles through the apartment.

“Even!” Eskild exclaims.

Isak narrows his eyes. “You’re not allowed to be more excited to see my boyfriend than I am.”

Eskild scoffs. “Please. As soon as Even walks in you’ll forget both of us are here.”

And indeed, Isak seems to have not heard Eskild’s words due to the way-too-tall boy who had walked in with a big grin on his face.

“Halla,” he says to Isak, and gives him a lingering kiss and Vilde looks away awkwardly. The moment between them feels too intimate and Vilde feels almost like she’s intruding.

Eskild rolls his eyes at Vilde as the boys greet each other and she stifles a giggle. “Stop being mean to us,” Isak whines to Eskild.

“I’ll protect you,” says Even, patting Isak on the head. “Hei Eskild!”

“Even! My favourite,” Eskild says directing the last bit at Isak obnoxiously, and this time it’s Isak’s turn to roll his eyes. “This is Vilde,” Eskild intro. “She’s the newest addition to the kollektivet.”

“Nice to meet you,” Even says, grinning and shaking her hand. She notices how ridiculously large his hand is in hers.

“My child,” Eskild says, and he looks so proud when he looks at her, Vilde quickly averts her gaze to the table.

“Even, how-”

“Ooh, Even, before I forget!” Eskild interrupts Isak, earning him a sigh and an eye roll. “We need to start organising Pride. It’s only a couple of months away and we need to sort out the details.”

“Who else is coming?” Even asks.

“Some of my other queer friends, and Noora says she might be bringing the girls. Sana and Chris are going to tag along and show support, or something.”

Vilde finds herself noticing how Eskild doesn’t define Eva’s reason for attending, then pushes the thought aside. Why should she care?

She sits, mostly silent, while Eskild, Isak and Even chat. Apart from a brief bonding session over Bakka with Even, she just listens and observes. Eskild was right about Isak and Even; they seem to be joined at the hip, always touching or joking together or looking at each other meaningfully, their expressions soft and full of love. Vilde tries not to be jealous of what they have.

Eventually Vilde and Eskild say their goodbyes, Eskild pulling a promise of dinner next week out of the boys. They make their way back on the tram, Eskild’s arm linked solidly with Vilde’s.

“Do you like them?” he asks when they settle into their seats on the tram. Vilde pulls the sleeves of her sweater over her hands and looks up in surprise.

“Of course. They’re really sweet.”

Eskild smiles and tucks a strand of Vilde’s hair behind her ear. “They are. You fit right in. By the way, you better be coming to Pride with us. I’m counting on you. It will be the best party you’ve ever had.

“Okay,” Vilde promises, and it’s enough to set Eskild off on a tangent about this one guy he met once. The woman sitting next to him slides farther away from him when he gets to ‘the juicy details’. Vilde can’t blame her.

They get back to the kollektiv just in time to eat dinner with Noora, who graciously cooked for all of them.

The more time she spends with these people, the more she immerses herself in their world and the more she begins to feel properly at home with them. Eskild hugs her tightly before going to bed, and despite his prying, she genuinely feels grateful for the welcome he’s been providing her.

 

Onsdag, 23:39

**✨Kollektivet✨**

**I dag** 23:39

**Isak:** Eskild, you fucking oaf

**Isak:** you forget your groceries

**Eskild:** Oh right!! we went shopping today, remember, villy?

Oh neiii!!

I can pick them up after class?

**Eskild:** it’s fine, your guru’s got it covered

**Noora:** Is there anything edible in there anyway?

Peanut butter

**Noora:** Not the crunchy kind, right?

**Isak:** it’s def the crunchy kind

**Eskild:** innocent unless proven otherwise **✨✨✨**

Yeah it’s crunchy hihi

**Eskild:** VILDE!!

**Isak:** shit eskild how many condoms does a person need

**Isak:** what the fuck

**Eskild:** feel free to take some!! 

 

Fredag, 14:26

**Gjengen Allianse**

**I dag** 10:39

**Chris:** HEY GUYS

**Eva:** helloooooo

**Chris:** EVA AND I JUST GOT INVITED TO THIS SUPER COOL PARTY

**Chris:** PREGAME AT EVA’S AT 20

**Chris:** BE THERE OR BE SQUARE

**Eva:** Vilde + Noora you can bring Eskild if he wants to come

**Sana:** I’ll be there

**Eva:** Jeeeeej

**I dag** 14:26

Eskild is busy tonight

**Noora:** We all know what that means ;)

**Noora:** Vilde and I will be there, right?

Hihi ja

**Eva:** Fetttttttttt  <3

**Chris:** BRING ALCOHOL

**Sana:**...

**Chris:** And non-alcoholic alternatives

**Sana: ❤️**

 

Fredag, 20:00

“Right on time!” Eva says happily when she opens the door. She pulls both Noora and Vilde in for a hug before letting them in. “Sana’s already here.” Sana sends them a sweet smile when they walk into the living room after shedding their coats and shoes. Vilde quickly realises they weren’t lying when they told her that Eva’s house is huge. It’s stylish, spacious, and yet cosy with the many candles Sana and Eva lit up around the TV and sofas.

Sana’s sitting on the ground next to the table, a can of diet coke in front of her. In the middle of the table, there’s a pile of nail polish bottles, and Noora makes an excited sound.

“Girls’ night?”

“You bet,” says Sana, showing her own bare fingernails and retrieving a wash bag from her rucksack. “It’s time.”

“It’s been too long!” Eva adds.

Noora seems to agree with this.

“Do you guys want something to drink?” Eva asks.

“Tea. Oh, is that the doorbell? I’ll let Chris in.”

“Takk, Noora! What about you, Vilde?”

“Water?”

Eva scrunches up her nose with a wink. “Boring, but I do think we have that.”

“The party has arrived!” yells Chris when she barges through the door and into the living room, Noora in tow. Sana drinks her coke through a straw and raises her eyebrows, clearly unimpressed.

“Chris!” Eva yells, returning with Noora’s tea and Vilde’s water. They touch elbows on the way to the coffee table in greeting.

Vilde’s sat down on the sofa, playing with the hem of her skirt. Even though the girls have been nothing but sweet and accepting toward her, she still feels like she’s imposing on them.

“Yo Vilde! Nice that you could make it,” says Chris when she sits down next to her. She opens her backpack and puts the bottles of alcohol in there on the table. “The water of the gods.” She gestures to the bottle of cherry-flavoured vodka in the middle.

“Shit, that stuff looks nasty,” scrutinises Eva.

“Water of the gods, I said.”

“That’s actually ambrosia,” Sana clarifies, and Chris rolls her eyes.

“Whatever.”

Chris also produces some red plastic cups from her bag, and puts one in front of herself, Vilde and Eva.

What follows is a night of manicures, nail polish disasters and a lot of giggling. Chris eventually starts up the TV and puts in one of Eva’s mum’s romantic films, and before long _Titanic_ is playing on the TV on low volume. “I can concentrate better with Leo’s face in the background,” she defends herself.

It doesn’t take long for both Chris and Eva to become tipsy, although Chris is obviously better with liquor. Vilde feels like Eva’s a very messy drunk.

At a certain point, Vilde finds herself alone with Sana. Vilde’s freshly-painted nails tap against the plastic of her half-empty cup, which has white wine in it.

“You don’t like it?” Sana says, and it takes Vilde a second to realise what she’s talking about.

“I don’t, uhm, I don’t really think it’s a nice day for drinking,” she says lamely.

“Hmhm,” Sana says, clearly unimpressed (again). Vilde grits her teeth.

“I mean, you and Noora aren’t drinking so…”

“No, we’re not.”

“Why not?”

“I thought we went over this last time already. Do I look like a girl who would drink?”

Vilde shrugs. “Nei, but that doesn’t have to mean anything.”

Sana smirks and shakes her head. “I don’t drink, and I never will. Which is good. Someone needs to make sure those girls don’t die on their ways home.”

“You’re a good friend, Sana.” Sana does look surprised at that. “Noora talks about you a lot. And Eskild does too, mostly because of Isak. That says enough.”

“Takk.”

“Girls!” Chris calls when the three of them join them on the sofa. “We’re not going to the party tonight.”

“What? Why not?” Vilde asks.

“P-Chris is going,” Chris explains, and Vilde sees her mouth ‘William’ to Sana when Noora isn’t looking.

“Yeah, and that would be awkward,” Sana adds.

“Shit, yes. I don’t want to see him anymore. I would literally die,” exclaims Eva. The girls start laughing.

“How much was he wearing when he met your mum, again?”

“Fuck you, Chris! Just a fucking bedsheet! And we weren’t even official or anything. I mean, my mum never even met Jonas as my boyfriend. Never. And Chris’s just a cheating fuckboy.”

“A hot cheating fuckboy,” Chris points out.

“Very true,” Eva agrees, and she and Chris bump plastic cups.

“Wait,” Chris says suddenly. “Vilde doesn’t know what he looks like.”

“Ohhhh, I have a picture here. Wait.” Eva pushes her phone into Vilde’s face seconds later.

“He’s handsome,” Vilde says. And he is. Brown hair, tanned skin, green eyes. He and Eva would be one attractive couple.

“Yeah duh. It’s Penetrator Chris. That name is not easy to come by,” Chris says. “Anyway, who’s up for a film night?”

“Ja!” Noora says.

“Only if it’s a horror film. I’ve had enough of this romantic bullshit.”

Chris takes the remote to open Netflix (“Not _The Human Centipede_ , Chris. I will kill you. Not this shit again.” “Relax, it’s a good movie.” “I will help her kill you.” “Wah, Noora, okay, whatever.”) _,_ and they all settle in on the sofa. Chris is lying in the middle, with Noora and Sana at one side of her and Eva and Vilde at the other. Halfway through the film, Eva falls asleep with her head on Vilde’s chest, and Vilde’s hands come up to cradle her head, stroking her hair softly. When Vilde looks to the side she can see Sana smiling knowingly at them, her eyes crinkling slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nearly two hours later,,,, ugh,,, i fail at life, sabiduria come save me  
> anyway, thank you guys so much for your support and enthusiasm. love you all <3 <3


End file.
